Hidden in a timbered valley near the headwaters of the Selawik River is one of Selawik Refuge's most interesting features: the Selawik Hot Springs.
During even the coldest months of the year, the stream in this area remains open due to the thermal springs that erupt from beneath the earth's surface. Historically, both the coastal Iñupiat and the interior Athabascans used the hot springs for medicinal purposes and as a gathering place. Today, the hot springs are still visited by many local residents as an enjoyable winter destination. Soaking in the medicinal waters is said to offer physical rejuvenation and treatment for a wide variety of ailments.
Accessibility
The hot springs is accessible only during months of snow cover. Most visitors arrive by snowmachine, traveling 50 rugged trail miles south from Shungnak or 60 miles north from Huslia. Some Selawik residents still know the unmarked route to travel directly to the springs along the Selawik River. Occasionally visitors arrive at the hot springs by dog team or skis. There are no roads, hiking trails, or air strips for summer access. Information on winter trails is available on the Northwest Arctic Borough's website.
The Selawik Hot Springs has two public cabins and a bathhouse, all of which were constructed years ago by local residents. The Upper Kobuk Elders’ Council and the City Council of Huslia hold special use permits for these facilities. The cabins and bathhouse are very rustic. No supplies are provided onsite, travelers should bring everything they will need with them. If you cut dead trees for firewood, please avoid cutting close to the cabins.
Elders of the upper Kobuk offer important advice about using the hot springs:
- You have to watch how long you soak, no more than 15 minutes at first.
- Drink a glass of the spring water before soaking.
- If you begin to see small bubbles of hot air while soaking, you must get out to prevent getting burned.
- The temperature of the soaking pool can be controlled by adjusting the inflow of hot and cold water from the streams behind the bathhouse.
- Do not use soap, shampoo, or similar products in the springs or streams.
- Do not travel across the big tundra near the hot springs (pictured at top of page) during stormy weather.
- One of the cabins is for Athabascans and one for Iñupiat, but either can be used if unoccupied.
- Take out all your trash with you. Leave a clean camp.
The Selawik Hot Springs is also known as Division Hot Springs to geologists and as Unaaqtaaq, meaning “hot water,” to Inupiat.
